Most folks looking for self-defence seek this level of skill. Some may just do a seminar or a few months of training and they hope to have achieved this. If that is all they want then give them the best you can in a very short period and base it on natural responses and principles and not memorized techniques that require multiple and constant repetitions.

Tony Blauer's Spear techniques are also based on the same concept. Most excellent view, Rick.

Here the teacher has to be confident enough to let the student question. To let the student look anywhere and at anything they want. When I ran camps people were always surprised that I exposed my students to many different styles and training. More than one teacher in my same style deterred their students from attending my camps. To me this just meant the teacher had not reached a sufficient level of self-confidence.

So true and comical, really. And also there are some students that will not attend the camps, where they will be exposed to other tactical defensive concepts, because they fear their shortcomings, physical and mental, will haunt them and 'downsize' their confidence.

Look at Mattson sensei's summer camps and the famous technicians who give seminars like a Rory Miller...so many teachers outright prohibit their students from attending and so many students stay away as they fear some of their 'pedestals' may crumble.

They don't get it...physical prowess...is one thing...the tactical application is another.

Mastery is an ever continuing path. Mastery is about skill and understanding and not being a master. The moment you feel you are a “master” you are probably wrong. True mastery comes from actually being the continual student that many claim to be but never look at anything new.

Mastery is being able to create, to problem solve, and spontaneously apply your self-defence.

There is a true authenticity to what you do because you have openly and honestly and constantly critically analysed yourself, what you are doing, how you are doing it and most importantly why you are doing it.

Without honest critical analysis mastery can never be achieved.

There is nothing a teacher can do about mastery but be a peer to those students reaching this level and seek to walk with them on this path.

"Look at Mattson sensei's summer camps and the famous technicians who give seminars like a Rory Miller."

It was George's camp that inspired me to run mine here in Edmonton with that same open approach he took.

I remember being at the summer camp in 1999 and outside my window a "master" was instructing his students on what they could attend because only he had the real Sanchin and he did not want them contaminated. I could not believe my ears. I was working with one of his students when he came and starred at him and the student froze. I guess he had slipped in to a forbidden seminar. Too sad for words. I cleansed myself with a morning Sanchin session with George.

I remember being at the summer camp in 1999 and outside my window a "master" was instructing his students on what they could attend because only he had the real Sanchin and he did not want them contaminated.

I recall that 'master' too, Rick. But when you think of it...people will be people no matter what style or 'training'...

How many times have we heard or even seen some 'ultimate Uechi master' make an ass of himself?

And that of course includes people in other styles, some of them having 'graced' my forum in the past. What a joke. They keep on practicing the style of blowing their own horn...

now obviously his pupils all believed that he was the real deal. Recently I watched a clip of another apparantly bona fide martial artist, who was giving instructions about his methods, and I got to thinking that he was no better than the guy in the clip. None of his stuff was fanciful like that above, it was punching and kicking etc, but he was a small oriental and his pupils were westerners and even the girls he was teaching were bigger than he was.and really you knew that anyone of them could have whacked him one, and that he wouldn't have been able to do anything about it, but they were all affording him the greatest respect, and he was struggling because the pupils just couldn't get his superior teaching method .which was sad because they were all paying a couple of hundred dollars for the privilege....................really ,and only recently have I noticed this in many areas of life we give people the benefit of the doubt, because they think they are able to teach us we believe that they can when in truth they know very little. There are many people out there who have never had a fight in their lives teaching self defence ...........How do you tell these people apart?? it's easy just look at them.if they scare you with their speed, power and aggression ....then they have something.if you have doubts or need to question their abilities then they are phonie.look at the guys in this gym..............https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUzlmWWdjEQ

i recently watched a youtube clip of a "showtime" program with Penn & Teller called Bull$#!+. i wont post the link because it has "adult" language and content. but Penn does a pretty good job of making the martial arts look like a bunch of fools. while i understand the show is for entertainment rather than informative knowledge, the truth of the matter is while i got defensive about the view point he portrade i have to admit he is actually 100% right. The "skeptic" that was on the show said something that was right on point. "most of what is being taught as martial arts is more about fear management, not danger management". meaning it doesnt teach you to actually fight but rather just makes you feel good and gives you a false sense of security.

Mastery is an ever continuing path. Mastery is about skill and understanding and not being a master. The moment you feel you are a “master” you are probably wrong. True mastery comes from actually being the continual student that many claim to be but never look at anything new.

Mastery is being able to create, to problem solve, and spontaneously apply your self-defence.

There is a true authenticity to what you do because you have openly and honestly and constantly critically analysed yourself, what you are doing, how you are doing it and most importantly why you are doing it.

Without honest critical analysis mastery can never be achieved.

There is nothing a teacher can do about mastery but be a peer to those students reaching this level and seek to walk with them on this path.

Well, we have so many 'master ranks' these days...masters of what??

Years ago I was in Zuber & Co looking for some gi pants. I had an old pair with me and I was asking Mister Zuber if he had something similar. The pants had a logo of Billy Blanks dojo on the leg, which is where I had been studying for years.

A young man had came in after me. He noticed the logo and politely interrupted with "Excuse me, could you set it up so I could spar with Sensei Blanks?" I introduced myself and told him it was an open dojo and to come up any time he wanted. He then introduced himself as "Master Key" (assumption as to the spelling) I asked him how old he was. He replied that he would be 18 in two weeks.

Old Mister Zuber then picked up the gi pants I had, held them up to the light and asked "when they were made?" I told him they were 15 years old. He smiled and said "In two years they'll be Master Pants." I got a kick out of that.

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